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Edmonton Green is a popular Enfield shopping spot but it's also the borough's most dangerous area, according to Metropolitan Police data.

The latest available crime stats show there were 905 violent crimes reported in Edmonton Green from November 2017 to November 2018, nearly 200 per cent more than in Enfield Town.

But compared to other parts of London the violent crime rates in Enfield are relatively low. There were a total 8,935 violent crimes reported there last year according to the Met, significantly less than in Westminster where there were 14,486 and in Croydon, 11,771.

And despite it being dubbed "Shank Town" by some, people in Edmonton Green said they wouldn't live anywhere else.

'Even if we won the lottery we wouldn't want to move away'

Joe Ohannagan has lived in Edmonton for 60 years (Image: Frederica Miller)

Joe Ohannagan, 68, has lived in Edmonton for 60 years and is a regular at La Dolce Piazza coffee shop on the concourse that leads up to Edmonton Green Market.

He lives by North Middlesex Hospital and said: "I don't think Edmonton's dangerous, but it's unsettling living here sometimes because of what goes on.

"I wasn't shocked by the latest shooting because we've already had things like that going on. People who live here are not shocked anymore, we're so used to it. Now it's just another one.

"But I don't think it's more dangerous than other parts of London, from what I read about Lewisham and elsewhere, it's probably no worse. Enfield Town itself is a lot safer than here. Edmonton's a bit neglected, it's always been the poor relation of Enfield Town."

Asked what he most liked about Edmonton, Joe said: "This café here is a little haven. I've been coming here ever since it opened and I come here every day."

Joe has family around Enfield and says he wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

He said: "Me and my wife have always said even if we won the lottery we wouldn't want to move away from Enfield. We might move more towards Enfield Town but we wouldn't leave the area.

"There are some nice places around here, so maybe we'd stay in Edmonton."

'It's quite scary'

Caterina has run an Italian café by Edmonton Green Market for more than a decade (Image: Frederica Miller)

Café owner Caterina Vetrano, 58, has run La Dolce Piazza for 13 years, she doesn't live in Edmonton and has a different view of things.

She said: "I've never had any problems but I'll be honest, I fear it a bit. I feel vulnerable because the customers have changed round here and some of them are very rude. They come in here like they own the place and shout orders. But I just have to shut up, there's nothing I can do. It's quiet scary."

'There's a reason we're known as 'Shank Town''

Edmonton Green's covered market is flanked by a Wilko and a Lidl, but inside it's a mishmash of independent green grocers, clothes stalls, butchers and fishmongers.

Edmonton Green Market is a mishmash of independent shops, butchers and greengrocers as well as high street stores (Image: Frederica Miller)

Scott Brett, 32 works as a butcher and has lived in Edmonton 26 years.

He said: "The stabbings and shootings are normal round here, it's not shocking. There's a reason we're known as 'Shank Town.'

"When we were growing up and these things were happening around us it meant nothing. I'm not scared living here because it's just part of life, it's imminent."

Louis said: "As far as stall markets go now this job's finished. We're now competing with the likes of Lidl and internet shopping. It used to be crowded here throughout the day, now it's pretty much empty.

"This used to be the finest place to come to, we had people from all over living and working here. It was such a warm place to live. People in Enfield Town used to envy us."

Louis claims the area's crime puts people of coming to the market too. He said: "I think elderly people come here and see what's going on and are scared of coming back.

Louis' fruit and veg stall used to draw customers from across north London (Image: Frederica Miller)

"You see drug deals going on round the corner, by that orange door. I was rounded on by a group in the bookies there just the other day, because they were shouting and I asked them to be a bit quieter.

"They were aged in their 20s and 30s and tried to pick a fight with a 70 year-old man. I'm not scared of anyone. The police were called and it calmed down in the end, it didn't come to anything. But people like that show how much it's changed."

He added: "In my day you could leave the door open and nothing would happen. But nowadays people in Edmonton are afraid to come here, because unfortunately it's run down and it's not a nice place to be. Some of these places, I wouldn't even like to walk myself."

Louis reckons Edmonton doesn't have a particular crime issue.

He said: "There's a lot of crime here now but there's a lot of crime everywhere. I don't think it's worse here than anywhere else. It's rife on the streets, I would be frightened if I had children and they were going out now."

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